


Don't Look Back

by Seito



Series: tick tock, forward and back (time travel fics) [9]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Summoning, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-26
Updated: 2019-02-26
Packaged: 2019-11-05 19:18:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17924768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seito/pseuds/Seito
Summary: In one world, Luna looked back. She saw her mother’s dead body, her brother frozen stiff and couldn’t bear the thought of abandoning them. Thus she let go of King Regis’ hand and doomed herself to be a political prisoner for years to come.In another world, Luna looked back. And there she witness a man scoop up her brother, summon the gods and saved her country through lightning and ice.





	Don't Look Back

Tenebrae was burning.

 

It was all happening so fast. Luna felt the blood pound in her ears as she ran, the grief damming up in her heart. The sounds of machines whirling as MTs hit the ground. The taste of ash in the air, smoke rising. King Regis’ grip around her hand was firm; Noctis’ fearfully looking back at her from over King Regis’ shoulder. Mother had fallen. Ravus was still with her charred body, screaming for help.  

 

Luna looked back.

 

(She shouldn’t have looked back.)

 

And there was Ravus, still cradling their mother’s body, not moving as the soldiers surrounded them. Luna’s heart clenched. Could she leave them? Could she really leave them? Abandon her brother, her dead mother, her country, and her people?

 

(In another world, she would have decided no, she couldn’t and she would have let go of King Regis’ hand and doom herself to be a political prisoner for years to come.)

 

In this world, before she could even consider it, there was a strike of lightning. It came, a bolt from the blue, so sudden that everyone, even King Regis had skidded to a stop. Standing over Glauca’s body, sword pierced straight through as the remnants of lightning danced across the metal armor was a young man with midnight black hair. It was looking at the Grim Reaper, one of Etro’s chosen guides, dressed in black and scruffy beard, something dark and wild and very, very, very dangerous.

 

The man pulled out his sword from Glauca’s body, letting it fall with a thud as all the soldiers reposition themselves to take aim at him. He merely scoffed, ignoring them and tugged a still stunned Ravus to his feet. Before the soldiers could take a shot, the man _warped_ himself and Ravus to Luna, King Regis and Noctis' side.

 

“How?” King Regis asked, surprised.

 

“Ask later,” the man said, shoving Ravus into Luna’s arms.

 

“Ravus,” Luna said, fussing over him. She probed with her basic healing skills, the ones mother had taught her, healing away the burns.

 

“Sister,” Ravus whispered at her, looking back at the man who rescued him and King Regis. “Please stop them,” he begged. “Our people, for mother-“

 

“Dad,” Noctis said.

 

King Regis grimaced. “I can’t protect all of you at once.”

 

Luna knew this to be true. Ravus could fight, but his shock, mother’s death, already dulled his mind. Their guards were already engaging and King Regis came with the barest of retinue, arriving to Tenebrae in secret for Noctis’ health. Niflheim came with an army, an army they were unprepared to fight.  She would mourn, but King Regis had a point, they would have to flee.

 

“Then I supposed it’s a good thing I can,” the man said.

 

“What?” King Regis asked.

 

“They’re over here!” a solider shouted.

 

The man’s eyes flashed red.

 

Luna felt a wave of power crash down on them. The smoke and ash disappeared, a frigid cold swirling around them. Frost coated the ground, creeping and spreading. Luna shivered, freezing despite her thick coat.

 

There she came, materializing out of air, skin pale blue and hair snow white. She reached out to stroke the cheek of the man, a faint smile on her lips. “You called, my king?”

 

“Shiva,” the man said, voice warm and fond. “I thought you would like the honor.”

 

Shiva laughed. “To defend Tenebrae? Gladly.” She turned to look at Luna, finger pressed to her lips and a secret written in her eyes. “For my Lady and my King, I will go.”

 

Shiva flew. Her imaged blurred, splitting up into copies. The temperature dropped, snow dancing, blinding, unrelentingly. Ice pillars rose as the screams of men and the groaning of machines intertwined into a symphony of cries. The tornado of snow, ice and hail swirled together and Luna could hear the words whispered on the wind.

 

“Diamond Dust.”

 

Then it shattered and a quiet fell. Everything was blanketed in a cover of white snow. There were no Niflheim soldiers or MTs still standing, or rather, those that were had been frozen solid; their expression trapped in twisted anguished.

 

Shiva reappeared, hovering in front of the man. “It is done, my King,” she said with flick with a wrist and an easy smile. “If you ever need us, simply summon us. We will answer, O King of Kings.” She disappeared like melting snow in sunlight.

 

Luna’s eyes went wide as both Noctis and King Regis gasped next to her. There was only one person who had the title, only one person who _should_ have that title. 

 

“Noctis?” King Regis asked. His voice sounded a touch broken to Luna’s ears, as if he couldn’t believe who he was looking at.

 

To be fair, Luna couldn’t believe it either. This was Noctis? This was who Noctis grew up to be? This man who summoned gods, was on good terms with them if Shiva’s warm welcome was anything to go by. A man who looked like vengeance forged in fire, a warrior hardened beyond belief?

 

“You’re me?” Noctis, the younger, asked.

 

Noctis, the older, gave them a brittle smile. “Yeah. Hi mini-me, Dad, Luna, Ravus. C’mon, there’s a lot of clean up here.”

**Author's Note:**

> I had a lot of thoughts about Luna letting go, all those years ago. 
> 
> Please leave a review on your way out :D


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